News
Firestone have just launched their new Harvest tyre, suitable,
for Combines, Beet-harvesters, Chaser Bins, Tankers, Etc.
Can operate down to 12psi, Capable of 50km/h and has a
maximum carrying capacity of 12,750kgs,
under Cyclic Load Conditions.
Has increased Plies for a more Robust Carcass.
Increased number of lugs for Ride Comfort and more anchor points.
More lug over-lap at centre-line, for yet more increased Ride Comfort.
Along with the patented Dual Angle Lug Design.
Plus, it comes with the Fresher / Cleaner / Clearer – Sidewall Graphics.
And all – Covered by the Firestone 10 Year Warranty.
The risks of incorrect ballasting differ considerably depending on your situation, if your tractor is too light compared to the tractive force required you will slip or experience handling problems, especially if the ground is wet.
On the other hand, if you overballast you run the risk of rapid wear to your tractor tyres, excessive soil compaction or even serious problems with the front axle if you have amassed too much additional weight.
There are two types of incorrect ballasting: overballasting and underballasting.
Mechanical breakdown or irreversible deflection of the tyres
1. THE RISKS OF OVERBALLASTING
Excess additional weight, uneven distribution of weight on your tractor or water ballasting on a tractor with no implement can have major consequences on your productivity, because overloaded axles may result in increased fuel consumption, excess soil compaction on your land and thus have a negative effect on the normal development of your crops.
The damages do not concern only your yield, but also your equipment. In detail, excessive ballasting may generate the following problems:
When you use very heavy tooling, just within the limit of your tractor’s power, you will be obliged to add weight to ballast your tractor to ensure the balance of your towed implement and maximise your machine’s tractive force. But adding unevenly distributed or excessive mass may generate other problems, because excessive weight on your agricultural tyres could lead to accelerated deterioration or, worse still irreversible material damage.
Too much weight at the front of the tractor, for example, can lead to risks of mechanical breakdown such as breaking the front axle. In this case, the risk of the tractor being immobilised is inevitable as you will have to have repairs carried out on site or be towed away, which will cost you much more than the time necessary to check the correct weight distribution before starting work.
In addition, excessive ballasting can lead to damage to the internal structure of agricultural tyres or irreversible deflection. If you attach mounted or semi-mounted tools that are too heavy or if you overload your trailer, the mass of the tractor will squash your back wheels. On hard soil, the lugs may bend under the tractive effort and break, or the deformation linked to the squashing effect may occur laterally on the sidewalls which are pushed beyond the limits intended by the manufacturer and there is a real risk of internal breaks in the casing, which will mean that you have to replace the tyres that have been squashed by this mass.
NEW FIRESTONE PERFORMER EXTRA TYRE
Based on the popular Firestone Performer 85 and 70 tires, the new Firestone Performer Extra offers 20 per cent longer tire life. The extended life of the tire helps to reduce its environmental footprint, as well as cutting down on long-term operational costs and improving business efficiency.
The Firestone Performer Extra isn’t only designed to go for longer. The tire’s dual-angel lug brings great traction, while the extra load option allows a higher loading capacity than many competitor products. Like its predecessors, the Firestone Performer Extra has been designed with reliability as a priority. The tire has a self-cleaning tread for excellent traction and improved fuel efficiency, while the flexible casing of the tire reduces soil compaction and improves road handling and comfort.
The tire was developed in Bridgestone’s European R&D centre in Italy and is produced in the Bridgestone plant in Puente San Miguel, Spain. As the Performer and Performer Extra tire ranges maintain the same dimensions they are inter-compatible both on the same vehicle and on the same axle. Like the Firestone Performer 85 and 70, the Performer Extra can be fit to most tractors used for agriculture.
“Helping farmers has been at the heart of Firestone since this business was founded – Harvey Firestone himself was born on a farm,” says Mark Sanders, Head of Sales Agriculture, Bridgestone EMIA. “This is why, to this day, we have maintained our commitment to solving common farmer needs through strong and reliable products. The Firestone Performer Extra, the latest addition to our popular Performer range, offers all the benefits of its predecessors but now with a significantly longer tire life. 20 per cent[1] is a huge difference and will be a real cost-saver for the farmers that will choose to make their operations more efficient and sustainable with the Firestone Performer Extra.”
Nice Wet Day – Conversion Job.
JD 6175R converted onto Bridgestone 600/65 R28 & 650/65 R42 VX-TRACTOR tyres. As the customer has a just secured a contract for constant heavy load, long mileage haulage of product.
The VX-TRACTOR is ideally placed to cope with this scenario – with its built-up design features of a Road & Field Operational tyre.
